


3 Times that Steve and Bucky Were Definitely Not On A Date (+ 1 Time They Were)

by raven_bird



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M, Post-Serum too I guess, Pre-Serum, accidental dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-17 13:49:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8146379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raven_bird/pseuds/raven_bird
Summary: The title says it all.  His fingers may have brushed across Bucky’s, but he couldn’t be sure.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [that_shipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_shipper/gifts).



> So this is for Nicole because sickness sucks (And I will give you steve/bucky even if I can't give you anything else right now <33 )

1.

The first time was entirely an accident.

As it turned out, Bucky’s charms were not infallible. (And Steve’s… well. He hadn’t gotten much of a chance to get to know the girl in the first place, so he wasn’t counting it as too much of a loss). Though he had gone through the effort of finding a restaurant that would impress his girl – there were candles and waiters in ties and everything, hell, even _Steve_ was impressed – Bucky’s date, Susan, seemed to be utterly immune to the romantic backdrop.

Steve, instantly recognizing the disinterest for what it was, was able to amuse himself by watching Bucky’s advances fall flat. It was a sight that Steve was sure he’d never see again – every joke that his friend made was met with only the ghost of a smile, nothing more. It wasn’t too much of a surprise when Susan excused herself halfway through dinner, dragging her friend out of the room with her.

Steve waited half a beat before letting his grin crack open. He could feel his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Bucky pushed him, wrinkling his nose. “Shut it.”

“Oh, man,” Steve wheezed. “She didn’t even finish her _dinner_.”

It was true. The pasta she had ordered wasn’t even half-finished. Bucky looked as though the sight of it was paining him slightly. Steve tugged the plate towards him, figuring there was no use wasting a perfectly good meal.

Bucky watched him morosely, not even protesting. “I really liked her, too.”

“I’m sure you did.” Steve said through a mouthful of food, patted his knee consolingly. “You know, I think she might have even laughed at one of your jokes. Maybe.”

“Funny.”

Steve shrugged modestly, smiling at Bucky, who was finally relaxing as though he’d come to terms with what had just happened.

It really was a nice restaurant. The lighting had a way of warming up everything in sight. The curve of Bucky’s cheek was bathed in light, the shadows flickering slowly across his features. Steve wished he had a pencil, some paper, a napkin, _anything_. If he were Bucky’s date, he figured, he would not have left. He wouldn’t have even considered it.

They ate their dinners as though nothing had happened and walked back to their homes in the darkening streets. For what it was worth, Bucky had lost his confused expression and was laughing again, a sound that made Steve’s heart swell in concerning ways. When they parted ways, Bucky pointed at Steve.

“Not a word of this again, you hear?”

Steve smirked. “Of course. Can’t have this ruining your image.”

“You got it.”

But Bucky was still smiling, so Steve counted that as a success, and ignored the little part of him that wanted to tell Bucky that Susan had no idea what she was missing.

 

2.

It wasn’t a _date_. The only reason they’d gone to Central Park was that Steve had mentioned that he’d never been – and Bucky couldn’t let that go. The parks in Brooklyn were great, sure, but there was something special about the way Manhattan had shaped the mass of trees and land into something beautiful, with rolling hills and tree branches twisting overhead until they formed something of a roof over the paths.

Except for the large shanty towns that had popped up, that is, but that was why Bucky was going. So Steve didn’t get caught up in anything like that.

And if most of the people they passed were couples, holding hands and giggling into each other’s ears – what of it?

They sat by the edge of one of the ponds and Bucky rolled up his pant legs so that he could wade in, and Steve laughed at him from the muddy banks. He was feeding the pigeons pieces of stale bread. Bucky only grinned back.

It wasn’t a date, but it was nice.

(They may have wandered on their way back, choosing to walk further down and accidentally stumbling past two men in Greenwich Village, hidden in the shadows of a narrow alley and too immersed in each other to notice Steve or Bucky. Neither of them commented on it, but Bucky didn’t miss the flush that spread high across Steve’s cheeks.)

 

3.

It wasn’t often that Bucky was allowed to take his family’s car out for a ride. They trusted him, sure, but his folks needed it more often than not, and it was a waste of good gas to let Bucky take it out for something as aimless as a drive out of the city.

On one occasion, though, Bucky was permitted this small thing. Giddy with excitement, he had picked Steve up at the curb and the two of them had tore out of town, watching the faces and buildings whip past until they blurred together. Bucky didn’t slow until they reached the edge of the city, where high buildings began to give way to smaller ones and eventually faded into grassy landscapes, wildflowers growing amongst the unruly greens.

Bucky didn’t dare to look over at Steve, who had his head out of the window. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes away - and he didn’t want to have to explain to his family that he’d scraped up their car because the sight of Steve with the wind in his hair was too much of a distracting sight.

Steve seemed to be trying to say something, but his words were whipped away by the strong bursts of air. Sighing, Bucky slowed the car and pulled over, letting his hands fall from the steering wheel. “Sorry, what?”

Steve pulled himself back inside the vehicle, and yup, Bucky had been right. Seeing Steve like this would have absolutely broken every ounce of concentration that he had in him. The messy hair alone would have done it, but Steve’s eyes were wild and bright and beautiful, the way they got after a particularly difficult fistfight. His mouth was parted slightly, and Bucky wondered what it’d be like to fit his lips against Steve’s.

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve was saying, and Bucky nodded absently. “This was great. Really great.”

His fingers may have brushed across Bucky’s, but he couldn’t be sure.

 

(+1)

Things were different, now.

Dates in the 21st century were both simpler and more complicated (and sounded infinitely more expensive, but Steve assured him that it all worked out in the end). And Bucky wanted to do this right. He wasn’t desperate enough to enlist any of the others’ help – he still didn’t trust Tony, and he was half-sure that any attempt to ask Natasha to help him would end with her rolling her eyes and laughing at him. Honestly, any of the people he knew now would be just as likely to laugh at him as to give him any actual help.

Steve’s friends were strange. He liked them.

In the end, there was nothing for it. He swallowed his pride and searched for a place that would still play the kind of music they both liked, and having done that, he was able to convince Steve to go with him.

(It didn’t take much convincing.)

Dancing with Steve now was different, but some things would never change. No matter how graceful Steve could be in a fight, he had never quite lost his habit of stepping on Bucky’s toes, a feeling that brought him right back to the nights they had spent listening to the radio, trying to learn the new moves before they (or rather, Bucky) went out dancing for the night. And Steve had never lost the little half-smile he wore, either, while he was dancing.

This time, though, Bucky could kiss it off of his lips without thinking twice.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [lavenderjehan](http://lavenderjehan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I wrote this really quickly (didn't even get to do the proper 5 that this fic formula usually calls for!) and I know the first one is a bit unrealistic because clearly it's a bit much for a date in the 30s especially with their financial situation. BUT let's ignore that in favour of appreciating how much these guys love each other. :D


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